Hi, long time lurker here (used to post a lot on anxietyzone). For 3 years I have been having extremely troubling symptoms and not one doctor I've seen can help me or has ever ever heard of my symptoms.
Problems started 3-4 years ago with dysphagia, I had several tests and while no cause was found it was determined it was neuro-muscular in origin (went through a big ALS scare). My problem is in initiating the swallow as opposed to the feeling of food getting "stuck."
The dysphagia is bad enough but it's the other symptom I have, which started at about the same time as the dysphagia, that is extremely disturbing. It's difficult to explain but I'll try my best. I get his strange pressure/squeezing in my upper chest/lower throat area, as if my esophagus is being squeezed. It gets tighter and tighter until finally it releases. When this happens I feel as well as hear a slight pop right at the bottom of my throat/neck (maybe the upper esophageal sphinter). Then the inside of my throat gets jostled and I get this horrible feeling like I will vomit, it's as if something hits my gag reflex. I also feel a small burst of pressure in my ears and my cheeks react also as if I'm gong to vomit.
I have no pain with this, just a lot of pressure. The whole thing pretty much feels like the few seconds before one gets sick; along with this are some creaking and groaning noises in the upper esophagus.
This happens well over 100 times a day, and is much worse after eating or moving. For instance I could be driving in my car for 30 minutes without it happening once. But once I stop, get out and walk, within 20 steps it will happen. Obviously this is affecting my life in a big way. I no longer go out with friends or just about anywhere fun because this is such a problem. Eating with others is definitely out. I literally feel like I will vomit over and over all day long. I'm afraid one of these times I won't be able to control it.
Like I said this is hard to explain but I'm hoping someone reading this will have some idea of what it is and how I can get help for it. You all have such vast medical knowledge.
I've seen my own PCP, a GI, ENT's, neuro's, chiropractors, alternatives, had swallowing studies, brain MRI, scoped up and down. The only thing found was very slight acid and a small hiatal hernia. My GI doctor said neither was enough to cause my problems. Brain MRI was normal except for a borderline chiari malformation and I'm told that can't cause my problem. The GI doctor said it sounds like a spasm of some sort, but WHY?? he doesn't know nor does he know how to help it. He's given me a couple different prescriptions which have not helped.
I'm at a loss, doctors don't know so they write me off. I've also posted on neuro and other boards and googled this to death but no one has ever heard of this and I can't find anything even close when googling. It's a real and serious problem and I don't know what else I can do to get help.
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Originally Posted by norahs
